The Emergence of the XFL

With the NFL season coming to a close, it has left many hardcore football fans wondering: what will happen now? The NFL Preseason is still seven months away, which is ages to the die-hard fans of the NFL. With only a brief taste of NFL football in April with the draft, the dry period has left many fans without football, professional, collegiate and even highschool. However, this year is different because one league has reemerged to sustain football fans until the new NFL season: the XFL.

This is not the first season the XFL existed; the very first season was in 2001 and it ultimately collapsed only a few months into the season. This time around is different, with a revamped administration, social media buzz and overall hype for the league, there will be more success for the XFL.

It is clear that the NFL has a monopoly on professional football. If a person wants to watch football, they have to watch the NFL. However with the XFL, it gives people more options to watch the sport. The XFL has shorter games, the average game for the first week lasted about 2 hours, 56 minutes, shorter than an NFL game according to ESPN. There are less rules (more emphasis on playing the game), and promise of less penalties (a result of less rules). Compared to the NFL, the games are much longer, penalties seem to fly after every play, and there is an egregious amount of rules to follow. I believe people, especially football fans annoyed with the NFL, should watch the XFL.

The XFL provides many fans with new opportunities to enjoy watching professional football. By taking away the stranglehold that the NFL maintains on professional football, the XFL provides fans with new options on who to watch and who to root for.

There are a total of eight new teams in the league. The twelve week schedule allows hardcore football viewer an extra three months of football, the season ends on April 26th, until the return of the NFL in August, shortening the time in between seasons from seven months to essentially four. In my belief, the XFL will change the way football is played in America.

The rules of the XFL are different than those for the NFL. The NFL focuses on slow methodical football, while the XFL is about fast paced and action-packed football. There are no extra points in the XFL, teams are required to either attempt a one, two, or three point attempt, which only adds to the excitement of the game. The league has also shorted the play clock from 45 in the NFL to a new 25 seconds and placed a strong emphasis on punt and kick returns. All of these rule changes increase the speed and flow of the game, adding to the action-ordained pace that the NFL is lacking. The added action to the game is more than enough of a reason for viewers who enjoy a fun and action filled game to watch the XFL.

The pace of the game is directly affected by the lack of bureaucracy in the game; less rules and penalty equates to more playing time and less breaks in the action. The XFL is promises to be more transparent than the NFL, making sure that all field communication can be heard by the audience. The concept of more playing time, overall less bureaucracy, and more transparency are more than enough reasons for people to tune in to watch the XFL season.

The XFL is a great idea for football fans to continue their love for the game months into the NFL off-season. Not only does the XFL add more viewing opportunities for viewers, but it also adds more opportunities for former players to continue to play the game that they love. Less rules and bureaucracy equates to more playing time and fun. I, with the other 3.3 million people, watched the debut of the XFL 2020 season.